The Portland daily press., 1887-02-09

An Act introduced in the House to
Regulate Water Rates.
The House Committee to Report on
the Canadian Fishery Question.
A Bill Which Portland VIII Have to
Look Out For.
The House Takes Action on Import
ant Bills.
The Senate Favors Giving the State
Printing to Sprague q Son.
Preparing for the Fight oyer the
Bridges.
The House Said to Favor PortIand's
Side Of the Question,
Important Matters Considered in
the Committee Rooms.
Two Reports to be Made on the La
Dor Question.
Two Reports to be Made on the La
Dor Question.
Especial to the PREss.l
Your Water Tax.

Especial to the PREssl
Your Water Tax.
AUGUSTA, Feb. s.
An act to regulate water rates. is the
title OF bill introduced by Mr.. Looney Of
Portland this morning. The intent of the
9iIl Is shown in the first section, which starts
out thus when any water company, in
corporated by the Legislature of this State
and supplying water through its aqueducts
to the inhabitants of any town or city, shall
require the takers or consumers of water so
supplied to pay rate therefor, which any
taker or consumer of water so supplied
deems exorbitant or unreasonable, for the
quahtity OF water SO taken or consumed by
nm, such taker or consumer may apply in
writing to the president, secretary, clerk or
treasurer OF the water company so supplying
water to him, requesting a reduction of
salu water rate to lust and reasonable
amount" If this does not bring the GONNA.
ny down, the aggrieved consumer may petit
tlon TO the assessors of the town. These as
SCISSORS are constituted a beard of arbtra-
h1a aion 10 near the complaints and fix a reason
aDle water rate. AT the hearing the water
company must state its financial condition
ana the aggrieved water-taker must state his
grievances. Then the assessors fix the rate
II either party feels that the assessors have
MOI, noe uohe M right the bill provides fer an APP
peal TO the Supreme Court. When a water
rate mas been adjudged right and proper il
may not be changed for five wears. under
pam OF the forfeiture of $1,000; and it is also
pat patVldea shs.. tnat water company shall
not shut off its water supply to any con-
sumer on account of non-payment of rates.
without thirty days notice.
Shall the Ezolatoso..o
The American Eagle won't go a great dis
lahce into Canada this winter" said mem-
Der o. the committee on Federal sefat1ons
today REPRESENTATIVE Cnna-ass resolutions
favoring energetic nr-usares towards Canads
were referred to this committee, and they
have discussed them very thoroughly. The
whole fishing question has also been discuss
ed, and very soon, perhaps tomorrow, the
committee will report its conclusions to the
House. 1t is understood that the commit
tees report will disapprove any policy Of
non-intercourse, on the ground that such
step should be taken only where all peaceful
means have failed. They think rather that
Canada should be brought to terms by rails
ing the duty on all kinds of Canadian fish,
SO that the Blne-noses may be excluded from
A44sl ,he sasnite lQna aid ,s,a,r
the coast want the Legislature to fissf en slit--
Federal government SOWe urgent ieOVnhihcn-
dations.
That Ferry Landing.
Mr.. Cole introduced in the Senate this
morning bill that Portland will have to
look out for. 1t is entitled. "An act addi-
tional to chap. 375 of the private and special
laws of 1878, entitled AN act to authorize
and empower the county commissioners
of Cumberland county to construct and
maintain public highway into tide waters
in the city of Portland" The text is as
follows:
All damages which may be allowed to corpor-
ations or individuals for property taken loI OF
landing over Portland Pier, in the city OF Port-
land, under authority of chap. 81 Of the private
and special LAWS s. q 1873 ss pa,1,o DS assesseu
This has been referred to the judiciary
committee in the Senate,.but the House has
| not yet concurred.
F, House Action on important Bills.
The Back Cove bill passed to be engrossed
| in the House this morning
The act to compel children under fifteen
years of age to attend the public schools also
passed to be engrossed in the House this fore
| noon, with the amendment that it shall not
| take effect Immediately on its passage.
Among the bills passed to be enacted in the
| House today were the bill to prohibit the
taking of fish from Webb's Pond, its tribu-
taries and outlet in Franklin county, the bill
to provide for the protection Of the alewiye
fishery in the Damariscotta River; the bill to
give additional power to the officers. OF the
Temporary Home for Women and children !;
the act additional to the charter OF the Port
land and Rochester railroad; the bill to au-
thorize the building Of dixie or dam across
the tide waters of Webhannet, in Wells; the
act to make valid the doings of the town OF
The Great Bridge Fight.
The great event of tomorrow is to be the
fight in the House of Representatives over
Pride's and Stroudwater bridges to decide
whether Portland shall continue to support
them or not Nothing else is talked Of in
the hotels tonight. Deering and Westbrook
have sixteen lobbyists at work including
five attorneys, the three selectmen Of West.
brook, the three selectmen of Deering, and
representatives, ex-representatives, etc. Al
these are assiduously instilling into the minds
of whatever representatives they can fine
| the idea that contract was Solemnly en-
tered into some time ago in the FAR dlstan
past by which the ancient citizens OF Port
| land saddled on to their descendants for al
time the support of two bridges for the ben
eft of people off in some other towns. Thi
S question of contract Is the point ON whlcl
, the question will turn, and as eight of th
: ten committee men, before whom the cas-
was carefully argued, decided that no con
: tract existed, it seems hardly probable tina
4 the House of Representatives Will stan
. very differently when the case has beel
; fully explained to them Portland y, h1ep !
e those of Deering and Westbrook. Mayo
a | Chapman has been here all day w0rkln
: very hard, and the other Portland men ner
IS are busy, although Portland's force, bt
t. cause it worked more quietly, has not u
e imposing array of her neighbors lobb,
y The sentiment tonight is that the majorit
d of the House will be with Portland.
= The Agricultural Experiment Station
! A bill was introduced in the Senate to-da
to abolish the agricultural experiment st
ton. Many who voted to establish the st
tion two years ago will support this bill
The Law for Collection of Debts.
This forenoon in the House there was pr
10 sented remonstrance against any cham
in the law relating to the collection of deb
headed by Twitchell, Champlin Co., al
n n signed by fifty of the leading business fri
le of Portland, Commercial street being lare
re iy represented. Mr.. Clark, of Saco, also h
he a similar remonstrance nearly five feet 10
at signed by business men of all kinds, eler
ed and other wQrklngmen OF Blddei0rd a
he Saco. Mr.. Clark is of the opinion that the
tic is considerable feeling on the subject
ty the two cities.
n Portland School for the Deaf.
Y Miss Baston, of the Portland School
hp the Deaf, was also before the committee
see about an increase of the appropriate
for the support and education of Main
deaf and dumb children.
en en Eastport's Valuation.
liza The finance committee have voted to 1
sp- ommend that the State valuation of Eastp
on be reduced % per cent. on account of
great fire that destroyed so much proper
a petition of Pennington for a similar
= duction is under consideration In the st
w valuation of Pembroke they also recomm'
tn. a reduction of 100000 on account of
ent closing up of their iron works which form
ly were operated there. Rockland's de-